Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Cantina Roccafiore Grechetto di Todi Umbria... the second greccheto I have tried and given the two I say I like this varietal a lot. lush and round with no oak its the perfect wine for people trying to get a good wine without all the wood

Villa Giada Rose Monferrato Chiaretto 2010.. a rose from barbera and nebbiolo.. a pretty strawberry soda red without the sweetness. lush red fruit with a hint of sweetness on the finish.. pretty

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Reds 2010 a Lodi field blend.. old vine grenache/zin etc. juicy on the palate.. but still maybe too young.. some green bell pepper on the finish. They had a great presentation before they went to screwtop where you saw pictures of things associated with red on the cork.. lucille ball, Karl Marx etc.

ZaZin lodi 2007.. dark purple in the glass and stinky feet on the nose... luckily that did not carry through on the palate.. mouthwatering acidity.. and good berry finish

I have to admit that I was skeptical of the wines from Missouri, and small wineries like this will also cause for concern, but I am always willing to experiment. Some of these wines really surprised me.. all wines are non vintage.. with most being from 2009/2010

Norton ...husky sweet nose, some smoky notes on the palate.. dry for sure.. almost chunky.. a bit hot and disjointed..

Chambourcin pleasant floral nose, good juicy flavors of dark fruits.. and not as sweet fruit as I thought

Vidal Blanc dry no oak, juicy and refreshing for a hot day. good acidity

Chardonel... off flavors and aromas.. not much there

Traminette floral, semi sweet, and long strong finish

Vignoles.. cotton candy nose, a slight grapy finish... not a fan

Semi Dry White.. juicy, nice enough finish... thought it would be off the charts foxy.

Falernia Pedro Ximenez 2010,, the first time I have tried this wine as a still wine... usually found in the sweetest style of sherry. very dry, crisp with a nice hint of sweetness. but finish of minerality. will be featured at the wine tasting next week.

Falernia Carmenere Reserve made from 60% dried gtapes like Amarone in Italy, tobacco and earth on the palate.. still a little green bell pepper.. interesting production though

Falernia Syrah.. black peper and spice.. good fruit ,, not a big style but good food wine.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Having gone to lunch with Schramsberg the day before I had to miss the brunch at Coal Vines with Paolo Saracco but he was nice enough to come by the store

Saracco Monferrato Rosso DOC Pinot Nero 2008.. light rusty coloring, a slightly sweet fruit nose, a little barnyard on the back. good texture and a slightly sweet finish.. but overall not that interesting..

Saracco Moscato d: asti docg Muscato Canelli, the town where the grape first became popular. the wine was a little more cloying than expected... I was told because of the warmer vintage. pretty stone fruit on the finish.. not nearly as fizzy as some d'asti can be

Paolo tried to explain his technique and his english was workable.. he definitely has the passion for what he does

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Schramsberg is one of the success stories of napa valley. A young couple with small children move to Napa in the mid 60's to follow a dream and in the process make history. Taking over the dilapidated winery known as J Schram they reinvented sparkling wine for California. Nixon in China took Schramsberg due to a connect with John Erlichman and they never looked back.c

Scavino Carobic 1998 a little italian stink but not over the top. loads still of cherry fruit.. a little wax on the finish

Clerico single vineyard Barolo.. cedar and mint on the noe.. again loads of fruit with a lush finish

Barolo di Marchesi 1991.. served from magnum.. one of the most interesting wine noses I have encountered.. diesel and pepper.. almondy finish with some burnt rubber... didnt care for it like my fellow samplers did.